Thursday, November 02, 2006

Can Someone Lend ZD $1.5 Million For A New Condo At Venice Beach

I told all of y'all, the first day I showed up at City Hall on April 4, 2006 to protest the shady, unconstitutional ban Mayor Antonio and City Council imposed on the artists on the west side (beach side) of Venice Beach had NOTHING to do with store owners' businesses being hurt over the sale of $1 dollar incense and Zuma Dogg T shirts -- and everything to do with the gentrification, condo-conversion craze, running rampant throughout the City of Los Angeles; wiping away every bit of national culture and heritage that makes L.A. a world-wide attraction.

So, as I was walking down the Venice boardwalk today, I saw some new construction going up. WOW! It must be some of that affordable housing The Mayor is so concerned about. So I aksed the construction worker, "What are you building?" Their response, "New condos...$1.5 million dollars each."

YOU SHADY, DECEITFUL, SUNSAB*****S AT CITY HALL: I TOLD YOUR ASS IT HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH THE RETAIL STORES ON THE EASTSIDE OF THE BOARDWALK, AND EVERYTHING TO DO WITH THE MAYOR'S SELF-IMPOSED CONSTRUCTION BOOM. (Everything in Mayor V.'s City Hall & Eric G.'s City Council is a mere diversionary tactic for some "special interest" fueled, high-end, development project.)

And the middle class and lower class are paying the tab. Your Mayor and Los Angeles City Council members can't even have the rich developers (making all the profit off the backs of the middle and lower/working class) help kick-in.

Meanwhile, you destroy the cultural and economic integrity of this City while you steamroll the City and kick lifelong L.A. residents out on the streets; to be replaced by high-price, luxury condos like the $1.5 million dollar ones going up on Venice Beach, overlooking the tweakers and increased homeless population below.

(And there was a big sign promoting the sale of another set of condos, just down the boardwalk.)

But the Mayor will tell you that he wants affordable housing, with the rich living with the middle and lower income families, creating a real community balance in the City; helping traffic problems by having people not having to commute as much. (Like if teachers and police and city workers could live in the communities they work/serve...Less commuting; better quality of life. (Belushi Voice): "But, NOOOOOOOOOO!" There's not a stitch of room for any of that, unless the voters in all income brackets (lower, middle, higher) give the Mayor's short list of preferred contractors a piece of your paycheck (Prop. H/billion dollar "affordable housing bond") that only gives you about 1000 units a year, for the next ten years, while there are 40,000 homeless people living on the streets of Los Angeles today, according to stats I heard while at City Hall.

So ZD's next prediction is to watch for the bottom to fall out of this Mayoral/City Council imposed fake luxury-condo crisis, just about as soon as all the money has been made off the construction. (Like a cheap Hollywood set, with nothing but two-by-fours propping everything up. (Hello, Loft Yuppies still being harassed by aggressive Skid Row panhandlers, so you are already moving out, and no one is moving in; especially new business.)

So let's try and do a better job, and try and get rid of all the bums at Venice Beach. Only one problem, fool...Those weren't bums, those were tourist attractions. And I also noticed, a whole bunch of stores were out of business on the East Side/Retail side, that were usually just getting ready for the holiday tourist season. But now, tourists will see a lot of condo construction overhead empty store fronts, with "This Space Available" signs up and down the boardwalk where you used to see the true, vibrant spirit of the community (culture).

And by the way, no on H & R.